Archives

This past weekend, Madvillain's Madvillainy celebrated its 15th-anniversary. Having released on March 23, 2004, the union of Madlib and MF DOOM marked a transformative moment in the careers of two Hip-Hop veterans with a passion for reinvention, character creation, and wildly inventive Rap music. Both of these artists rarely speak... Read more

UPDATE: Following the recent footage of Madlib playing some unreleased collaborative music with Mac Miller, his team has released a statement. Rapp Cats, a California-based store and label run by Madlib’s manager and business partner, Eothen “Egon” Alapatt published a statement today (March 20). "What exists is what the two... Read more

Several Hip-Hop artists have been at work on special projects at the time of their passing. In the last year of his life, Tupac had begun recording a One Nation project that involved his Outlawz, as well as East Coast Rap luminaries including Buckshot, Smif-n-Wessun, and Greg Nice, among others.... Read more

On Anderson .Paak's Grammy-nominated 2016 Malibu album, the Oxnard, California singer, MC, producer, and drummer worked with a who's who of great Hip-Hop producers. 9th Wonder shared production billing on the debut double-single "The Season / Carry Me" with Callum Connor. "Room In Here" was handled by Pac Div's Like,... Read more

The buzz surrounding Nas’ full album with Kanye West behind the boards reached a fevered pitch this Spring, so when NASIR finally dropped on June 14th, reactions were quite extreme. Some lavished it with praise, while others were not impressed by the 7-track effort. However, there was another faction of... Read more

Last month, Madvillain's album celebrated its 14th birthday. In the early 2000s, MF DOOM and Madlib formed the group and recorded Madvillainy in the latter's bomb shelter studio in Glendale, California. The resulting Stones Throw Records album was a game-changer in the careers of two elusive, decorated veterans, both creatively... Read more

There’s such warmth in some music, coming at you like waves. The remix of NxWorries’ “Best One” is one such wave of feel-good energy. Vocalist Anderson .Paak’s usually peppy, highly theatrical style is (almost) subsumed in the Knxledge mix so that it can sometimes be hard to make out the... Read more

On March 31, Homeboy Sandman released Veins. That LP boasts beats by 88-Keys, Kev Brown, Audible Doctor, and others. Now a mainstay at Stones Throw Records, the Queens, New York MC dropped the visual to album highlight "Bamboo." The RTNC-laced track (De La Soul, Yasiin Bey, Action Bronson) lends itself... Read more

In 2016, Anderson .Paak started the year in truly incredible form thanks to Malibu. However, the Southern California MC/singer/drummer/producer was far from done. Amidst an Aftermath Entertainment signing and a clamor of strong features alongside everybody from Mac Miller to ScHoolboy Q, A Tribe Called Quest to Rapsody, .Paak and... Read more

In 2005, Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music was the label responsible for Common's sixth album, Be. That album, which was Common's first Top 10 release (debuting at #2) was critical to the Chicago, Illinois MC's career, and transformation. While West was responsible for nine of the LP's 11 tracks, the other... Read more

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

Today (March 6), Round 4 voting closed for “Finding The GOAT Producer.” This competition, launched in early January, beginning with 32 producers (including two Wild Card inductees into the bracket). The 32 eventually became a pack of 16, then an Elite 8, next a Final 4, and now presents its... Read more

“Finding the GOAT Producer," the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

“Finding the GOAT Producer” begins. The third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving... Read more

Outkast Heads know Mr. DJ. Not only is the Georgia veteran the mixmaster on stage when Andre 3000 and Big Boi do their rare shows, he's been with the group for more than 20 years. Mr. DJ is also the third member of Earthtone III (fka Earthtone Ideas), the production... Read more

“Finding the GOAT Producer” begins. The third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving... Read more

It has been more than a dozen years since Madvillain released its debut album. DOOM and Madlib made as interesting (and complementary) a duo as any in Hip-Hop since. The Stones Records tandem dropped Madvillainy, which served as a subpoena to all those sleeping on DOOM for the 15 years... Read more

In 1996, Madlib's career was taking shape. In addition to his spot in Lootpack, the Oxnard, California producer/MC was selling tracks to Tha Alkaholiks and Boot Camp Clik's O.G.C. Appearing on albums, the dusty beats from Otis Williams, Jr. were alluring. He was welcomed to the burgeoning Likwit Crew, alongside... Read more

For Hip-Hop fans, there are few record catalogs more revered than that of Stones Throw. The label, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is the home to such artists as MF DOOM, Aloe Blacc, Dam Funk, J Rocc, Oh No and, of course, label founder, Peanut Butter Wolf. The record... Read more

As far as meaningful albums are concerned, 2016 arguably began with Anderson .Paak's Malibu. One of the year's tallest bodies of work will be followed with an additional release from the Southern California MC/singer/drummer/producer who has since signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. While he's label-mates with Eminem, Kendrick Lamar,... Read more

Most people know Mayer Hawthorne as a retro-styled Soul singer down with the Stones Throw crew. However, the Michigan native first burst on the scene as a DJ for the Athletic Mic League conglomerate (which also spawned 14K). Even though he's become a pop culture sensation with his voice, the... Read more

Certain Hip-Hop artists go to an extreme to avoid the media. Dr. Dre and Eminem are two of the more selective artists, who often shun easily-available press, even during album cycles. Kanye West, Drake, and even DOOM will do interviews more regularly, albeit when convenient for themselves. One artist, who... Read more

Today (April 15), J Dilla's The Diary releases. The album featuring contributions from Nas, Snoop Dogg, Pete Rock, and many others has come a long way since its early 2000s plans to be an MCA Records release. Sadly, that never happened as planned. In 2016, it has been more than... Read more

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

In late 1997, Madlib was a fledgling MC/producer. The Oxnard, California artist had laced a handful of joints for Tha Alkaholiks and Boot Camp Clik's O.G.C, while trying to get his Lootpack group off. In those days, as expected, not a lot of people were yet checking for the would-be... Read more

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

Earlier this week, the Beat Konducta himself, Madlib, was introduced to even more new fans thanks to his contributions on Kanye West's "No More Parties in L.A." Longtime Heads have been following the Oxnard, California producer and part-time MC for several decades and many incarnations. The man behind projects released... Read more

"I know some fans thought I wouldn't rap like this again / But the writers block is over, MCs cancel your plans." - Kanye West Last Friday (January 8) Kanye West showcased the 2016 return of "G.O.O.D. Fridays" in the Ty Dolla $ign assisted-"Real Friends." After the song finished playing... Read more

Today, vocal effects are commonplace with rappers and MCs. Future, Kanye West, and Nicki Minaj are all artists who have used special effects. Fifteen years ago, this trend—in Hip-Hop, was not so prevalent. In the summer of 2000, Quasimoto came forward with a full-length album. After making an appearance on... Read more

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

As Anderson .Paak continues his unstoppable rise to much deserved and overdue acclaim, there's an aspect to his multi-dimensional range of talents that many folks have yet to see, and that's his live performance. Appearances on some of the year's biggest records - namely Dr. Dre's Compton and the Game's... Read more

Two of Hip-Hop's most celebrated indie artists quietly released a collaborative E.P. earlier this week, and it's another remarkable release Heads have come to expect from Stones Throw. Called Lice, the project is the result of a partnership between celebrated MCs Aesop Rock, whose impressive discography stretches back to 1996;... Read more

Historically, when Phonte links with Madlib, some amazing audio moments result. 2010's "Best Of Times" collabo with Strong Arm Steady on a Madlib track yielded a video single that still endures. Five years later, 'Tigalo links with 'Lib, care of the Oxnard, California MC/producer/DJ's trio with Blu and MED. Pac... Read more

Like a villain in the night, the masked MC named DOOM has resurfaced with 2 new tracks in as many weeks. After reprising his role as part of DOOMSTARKS with Ghostface Killah on the Adult Swim-released "Lively Hood," DOOM re-teams with another esteemed partner in Madlib. Blu, MED and Madlib... Read more

Guilty Simpson just reunited with his original backer Stones Throw Records for Detroit's Son. Nearly a decade after his debut, Guilty has built a career out of tireless microphone activity, from an onslaught of collaborative works, Random Axe, and plenty of features. Something about Detroit's Son stands tall though, and... Read more

In an era of software-driven producers, Los Angeles, California's Dam-Funk is about that hardware. Since 1988, the Stones Throw Records artist has made bodacious Funk through a series of synthesizers, cheap and expensive alike. If you see the Snoop Dogg and Blu collaborator on the road, you'll see that he... Read more

Stones Throw Records is a sonic hot-bed. Whether Madlib, J Dilla, Oh No, or Mayer Hawthorne, Peanut Butter Wolf's imprint hones in some of music's most exciting producers, and gives them free reign. In the current label lineup, Dam-Funk is a standout. For almost a decade, the Southern California mainstay... Read more

Earlier today (August 12), Stones Throw Records announced it was releasing the latest album from Guilty Simpson nearly a month early. Detroit's Son will be universally available on September 11, but Heads can purchase it right now by visiting the label's website. Produced entirely by Australian producer Katalyst, the album... Read more

After leaving Heads with a joint project with Blu in the closing week of 2014—Homeboy Sandman has been quiet, relatively speaking. The Queens, New York MC is plugging away as Stones Throw Records' flagship Rap acts, alongside the returning artist, Guilty Simpson. "Arrows" hits the center of the board. H.B.S.... Read more

Guilty Simpson's Stones Throw Records return is shaping up. The Random Axe MC who made a lot of noise upon 2008's Ode To The Ghetto is back in form. "Animal" puts racist cops in the cross-hairs, as the Detroit, Michigan native looks at recent events as an awakening to a... Read more

Alchemist is a marketing genius. In the midst of plenty of Rap diversions this week, the Gangrene cofounder launches latest single "Reversals" into the digital super-highway with some sarcasm-marketing. No, the Mass Appeal Records single does not feature Drake, Meek Mill, or Jay Electronica, but it absolutely packs potent punches... Read more

Gangrene's Alchemist and Oh No share a love of hijinks with Action Bronson. Together, the cross-country homies take a rental car out for a spin that is none too good. Directed by Decon/Mass Appeal's master videographer Jason Goldwatch, this will appeal to lovers of pranks, corporate upsetters, as well as... Read more

Since his appearance on Slum VIllage's 2002 album Dirty District: Vol. 1, Guilty Simpson has aligned himself with the grimey boom-bap of Detroit, even after signing to the West Coast-based Stones Throw label. Two solo and five collaboration albums later, the Motor City native has released "Vanguard Organization," a song... Read more

Almost 15 years after releasing PeteStrumentals, Pete Rock released a follow-up album on June 23, and with it came an infusion of the sampling and hard-hitting beats for which the Hip-Hop icon is revered. Released by Mello Music Group, PeteStrumentals 2 serves as not only a reminder of why the... Read more

The Beat Konducta is back with another installment of his signature Mind Fusion mixtape series, this one penetrating deeply into the sounds of African beats and rhythms. African Earwax showcases the vast and seemingly endless lode of innovative music coming from all corners of the Great Continent, and at over... Read more

For more than a decade, Aloe Blacc has proven himself as an elite singer-songwriter with a passionate voice and compelling lyrics. Blacc's stunning range as a musician goes from an enriching soulful sound, to a Folk and Pop fusion. He appeared on the big screen as Bobby Byrd in the 2014... Read more

Who can deny that sampling has become a fundamental element that has put numerous Hip-Hop classics on the map? Since the very earliest days of Hip-Hop music, sampling has been integral. With it have often come lawsuits, allegations of copyright infringement, and a series of settlements. Recently (April 10, 2015)... Read more